Okay, now I know I just posted this guy playing hacky sack on a recent page but I just can't stay away from him! And he's really good too! He keeps the hacky sack in the air and doesn't use his hands at all, and he can even do this trick where he kicks the hacky sack from the back over his shoulder to the front!

I don't know, you have to see him for yourself. It's just way too much to try and sum up all of his wonder here, now.

By the way, I've added a wallpaper of this Amazing Stranger. Go see here!

Photo by Normal Bob

I get a lot of emails from people in other parts of the world who think I'm going a little too far because over where they live no one really cares about religion, or when they do it's all very reasonable and a none-of-my-business mentality.

You see, everyone who's not in America just doesn't understand how crazy everyone is over here about Jesus. No, seriously! You've NO FUCKINGCLUE!

Photo by Normal Bob

St. Marks Place is a living, breathing life form all unto itself. It has facial tattoos, piercing's, thug-wear, a strange androgynous nature, and it even carries around an ambiguous black plastic bag filled with the dirty secrets of people who've never even seen the light of day.

St. Marks Place isn't yours or mine or anybody else's.
St. Marks Place simply is.

Photo by Normal Bob

This, my friends, is The Shadow! Mysterious, silent and ever-present, The Shadow has to be seen to be believed!

My first introduction to The Shadow was 2 years ago when he was hangin' around my friend Noah. The Shadow would be sitting there during our conversations, following us to get coffee, and over to the record store. He never said anything and generally kept about 2 paces behind us where ever we went. He'd laugh when we laughed, look serious when we looked serious and got up and start walkin' when we got up and walked.

After about 3 and a half hours of this I asked Noah, "Who's he?"
Noah replied, "I have no idea. He's The Shadow!"

Photo by Normal Bob

Okay, I'm going to present two scenarios to you and you have to choose the one you think actually happened one fine day at Union Square. Ready? Here we go!

#1. A headless man walks up to the steps at Union Square Park, sits down in front of me and proceeds to pour chocolate milk down his neck hole while he watches the Bush protestors.

#2. Another junky, after finishing off a box of Entenmann's doughnuts, nodding off, head drooping down past his shoulders, almost falling forward, but never... quite... toppling.. over... to the... ground... beneath.. him.

You guessed #2? Yeah, you're right. It's #2.

Photo by Normal Bob

This is it! This is the quintessential Graver! A goth/raver half breed. I think they might officially be replacing junkies for me.

They're all the glitz and glamour of a raver, but evil and mysterious like a goth.

But that's not all! The pants are a shout-out to hip hop, the studded belt is a shout-out to punk, the backpack is a shout-out to Industrial, the fangs and cat-eye contacts are a shout-out to vampires, and the D&D is a shout-out to nerds!
Yep. My new favorite. Gravers.

Photo by Normal Bob

There is NO better way to impress everyone at Union Square than to spar with some homeless kid, psyche him out with your hovering-claw, then proceed to unleash all the fury you've acquired over a lifetime of not having any kind of father figure at all, until you've got the kid's head pinned to the curb with your foot.

Then, and only then, are you officially a member of the deadly Union Square Ninjas Assassin Team!

Photo by Normal Bob

How is it that someone ends up getting stuck in this conversation? I mean, you're not in it to get laid, and she ain't gonna get you into the hottest clubs or fanciest restaurants.

I suppose maybe you just wake up and there you are, your whole life a blur up until this point, and all you can do is focus on that mole in the middle of her head and think, "If I make like there's a bee chasing me I could just sprint out the door and never come back to this place ever again."

Photo by Normal Bob

And what better way to finish off another page of Amazing Strangers than with a two-in-one-double shot of Amazing Strangeness?!?!

That's right! I don't know if they were a couple, or friends, or a dom/slave agreement or just in town for the Sumo Wrestling Convention. But what I do know is that they weren't junkies and that this is not a joke!
Seriously! They mean it!